Approximately 40 million Americans suffer from significant levels of joint stiffness and pain. This stiffness or pain can stem from the cumulative effects of chronic mechanical stress experienced during strenuous athletic activities such as running or swimming. In addition, joint pain may be the result of traumatic injuries such as sprains, dislocations and fractures. Joint pain may also be due to the long-term effects of arthritic diseases such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Besides pain in the joints, many of the joint conditions described above can result in disfigurement and loss of mobility. Approximately 6.9 million Americans have some sort of work limitation that is directly attributable to arthritis.
Treatments for joint pain depend upon its cause and severity. For relatively mild joint pain brought on by repetitive mechanical stress, reducing the stress by adjusting the intensity or duration of exercise, or using different footwear or supportive appliances is the simplest option, although this may not be appropriate for athletes or performance animals. For more severe joint pain, over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) can be helpful. In more severe cases, steroids such as prednisone or cortisone bring relief, although accompanied by a host of potential side effects such as weight gain, high blood pressure, and facial swelling. In the case of chronic arthritic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, other drugs such as etanercept or adulimumab that disrupt the immune system's inflammatory reaction are effective, but are also accompanied by side effects related to the disruption of the immune system. As a last resort, surgical interventions such as cartilage transplants or joint replacements can reduce symptoms. All of the above treatments may address the pain and limit further damage to the joints, but do little to facilitate the repair of joint tissues.
Another approach to treating joint pain is through the use of nutritional supplements that stimulate the growth, repair and maintenance of bone and joint connective tissue. One class of supplements is comprised of components of joint connective tissue: collagen, glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, and chondroitin. Other supplements act as catalysts or supply raw materials for bone and connective tissue synthesis: S-adenosylmethionione (SAM), methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), and other vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron, and Vitamin B12. While some of these supplements provide some relief, they typically only address a limited subset of nutritional issues that impact overall joint health. A need therefore exists for a nutritional supplement that can be utilized to improve overall joint health.